SKODA KAROQ
Bump at rear hasn’t dented SUV’S appeal
Filling station bump has left an irritating mark on brilliant SUV’S bodywork.
CLANG! Our Skoda Karoq has picked up a battle scar. A Ford S-MAX driver at an adjacent fuel station pump carelessly swung a door open and left a small round dent on the rear passenger door of our Skoda. It’s one of those you’d never spot if you didn’t know about it, but since we know it’s there the little dimple is forever catching the eye.
That mishap aside, it’s been plain sailing for the Karoq. The 1.5 TSI petrol engine is being installed in more and more models from across the VW Group empire and with good reason: it does a fine job of replicating some of the flexibility you get from a diesel while staying impressively hushed and responsive from low revs right through to the red line. It helps make our front-wheel-drive, manual Karoq a lively companion on B-roads with the easy, slick gearchange also adding to the experience.
You might want a little less body roll and more direct steering in this kind of driving, but Skoda has done the right thing in prioritising comfort in its small family SUV. The ride is supple and the Karoq isn’t thrown off its stride by bumps or undulations, while the major controls work with a deft lightness that reflects the composure the car offers. From a driving point of view, it’s a really well-judged package.
We’ve done just over 1,600 miles in the Karoq so far and it’s been hovering around the 37mpg mark. You’d probably gravitate towards the (£600 more expensive) 113bhp 1.6 diesel if you were doing lots of miles, but our 148bhp 1.5 is superior in terms of performance. It really is a fine engine that brings an extra sparkle to the Karoq driving experience, so we’d say try it before you buy.